Malaysia Condemns Israel's Plan to Expand Illegal Settlements in Palestine

JAKARTA - Malaysia urges the United Nations (UN) and the international community to take firm steps to stop Israel's plan to expand illegal settlements in occupied Palestinian territory in order to maintain the opportunity for a just and sustainable peace.

The Malaysian Foreign Ministry (Wisma Putra) strongly condemned Israel's latest announcement regarding plans to build an illegal settlement worth 2.3 billion US dollars in occupied Palestinian territory.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs considers this plan to be a clear violation of international law as well as a deliberate attempt to strengthen Israel's illegal occupation and deny the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.

"This expansion of illegal settlements is a direct threat to the opportunity to achieve a just and sustainable peace. This step shows Israel's continued violations of international law, including relevant United Nations Security Council (UN) resolutions and the Fourth Geneva Convention," the statement said.

Malaysia called on the international community and the United Nations to firmly reject the plan to expand the illegal settlement.

According to Wisma Putra, the ongoing confiscation of Palestinian land and the expansion of illegal settlements will only prolong injustice, increase instability, and worsen the situation in the region.

The ministry emphasized that the Palestinian people have long suffered from illegal occupation, deprivation of their rights to land and homeland, as well as continued human rights violations.

Malaysia considers the expansion of illegal settlements by the Israeli Zionist regime to be unjustified under any circumstances.

Wisma Putra said the move reflected a systematic effort to deny the rights of the Palestinian people, including the right to self-determination and to establish an independent and sovereign state in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem.

"Malaysia reaffirms its unwavering solidarity with the Palestinian people, and reaffirms its continued support for the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian State based on the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital," the Malaysian Foreign Ministry said.